Governor General Mary Simon has authorized the removal of two individuals from the Order of Canada. One individual, Peter Dalglish, was previously honored for his humanitarian efforts but was later convicted of sexually assaulting two boys in Nepal and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The other individual, Jacques Lamarre, a former chief executive officer of SNC-Lavalin, was stripped of his Order of Canada membership after being found guilty of collusion and corruption, including improper payments to Saadi Gadhafi, son of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
The decisions to terminate their appointments were officially announced in the Canada Gazette, signed by the governor general in April. These actions were recommended by the advisory council for the Order of Canada. It is noted that removal from the Order of Canada is a rare occurrence and is typically reserved for individuals whose actions are deemed inconsistent with the expected standards of conduct within society, such as criminal convictions or professional sanctions.
The revocation of honors is considered an extraordinary measure and is undertaken when an honoree’s behavior is not in line with societal norms. The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General refrained from providing specific details regarding these terminations but emphasized that such actions are taken in response to behavior that does not align with the expected standards of conduct for Order of Canada members.
This development coincides with Governor General Mary Simon’s final Order of Canada honors ceremony before the installation of Louise Arbour as the 31st Governor General of Canada on June 8. Notable individuals who have previously been stripped of the Order of Canada include Conrad Black, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Garth Drabinsky.